Universal Design for Learning and Accessibility: A Summary Through the Eyes of an Instructional Technologist

A family friend and former educator that has since moved on to bigger and  better (but probably more boring things) asked me if I was familiar with Universal Design for Learning and Accessibility.  I replied "Nope but I can be."  After some research I found that many of the concepts of Universal Design for Learning fell in line with my own beliefs about how technology can prepare learners with 21st century methods to fill 21st century needs.
Universal Design for Learning is a spin off of the concept of Universal Design.  Universal Design is term coined by architect Ronald L. Mace "to describe the concept of designing products and the built environment to serve the needs of people regardless of their age, ability, or status in life."  Ramps that lead up to buildings and curb cuts are examples of universal design in action in architecture.  Flexible drinking straws, automatic doors, and Q-Drums are example of products that exemplify universal design.  Anyone can use them.

Q-Drums ease the burden of transporting water in developing countries.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) takes concepts from Universal Design and applies them to learning via a framework based on research in cognitive neuroscience.  How?  By creating curriculum that includes multiple means of representation, multiple means of expression, and multiple means of engagement.  Thus giving learners various ways of getting information and demonstrating that knowledge while challenging them appropriately to ensure engagement and motivation.

An Evaluation of TimeMonsters.com as an Instructional Asset

For the past 4 years I've had the privilege of being a kindergarten teacher.  For 3 of those years I taught only kindergarten and for the last year, I taught a combination class of kindergarten and first first grade.  One of my favorite standards to teach was telling time.  This was not just because of the nostalgia I felt when I broke out the the Judy Clocks.  But also because I got to listen to the soothing voice and enjoy the humor of Professor Tempo, the host and instructor of timemonsters.com.  How does timemonsters.com stack up as an instructional asset?  Let's take a look...

TIMEMONSTERS.COM

A. Desired Outcomes

Specific Virginia SOL: Math K.9: The student will tell time to the hour, using analog and digital clocks.

B. General Product Description

Title: Time Monsters

Designed and Developed by Marc Gunderson

This program can be used at home or in the classroom by either individuals or small groups.  It can also be used whole group with the use of an interactive white board and projector/computer setup.  The purpose of the program is to teach learners how to tell time.

The program is presented by a virtual instructor, the animated Professor Tempo.  The first time to website is loaded, Professor Tempo tells the students how to navigate through the program interface and the suggested order that the lessons should be completed in (indicated by a bright blue flashing arrow for the next suggested lesson).

The material is divided into 15 lessons with post-lesson quizzes and 2 large tests at the completion of all lessons.  A suggested order of completion exists.  However, the lessons may be completed in any order.

The intended users for this software are children who do not know how to tell time.

4 Of The Fastest Growing Trends In Education Technology

4 of the Fastest Growing Trends in Education Technology

Anna Francesca's article (linked above) lists 4 growing trends in Ed. Tech.  They are:

• Learning Analytics
• 3D Printing
• Mobile Apps
• Game-based Learning

Let's first discuss leaning analytics.  Data is one of the most important tools we have as educators.  We're constantly gathering and acting on the data we acquire.  However, something we do very little of is using that data to predict what our students will do in the future.  We use the data to see where our students are and what their current deficiencies or strengths are, but we rarely use that data to predict future behavior and performance.  Why not?  If Target can figure out that a teen girl was pregnant before her own father knew that she was, why can't educators use data to figure out the a student (or even a group of students) who is struggling with a particular objective use that knowledge to predict that that same student will likely struggle with correlated objectives later and proactively prevent it rather than remediating it after the fact?

Media Selection: Newer isn't always better.

One of the most important aspects of sound instructional design is media selection.  Choosing the right picture, video, soundbite, or print asset can increase both student engagement and learning.  During my tenure in Virginia Tech's Master of Arts in Instructional Technology program, peer reviews of programs and lessons I was developing were used to provide valuable feedback.  A point of contention that I encountered more than once was my use of what my peers referred to as "outdated" media.  To this I say "Nay!"  Just because the media I selected was old doesn't mean that it wasn't the best choice for my instructional design.  Newer isn't necessarily better when it comes to media or even delivery system.  What matters is the role and efficacy of the media chosen.  With that in mind here are 10 classic educational television programs that still rock today via i09.com.  The vast majority of these programs can be found on YouTube.com.  Enjoy!

Classic Educational TV Programs that Still Rock Today

100 Ways to Use Google Drive In The Classroom

100 Ways to Use Google Drive in the Classroom

Bridging the Gap Between Skill Acquisition and Real-World Application

Schools don't emulate life in the real world.  Yet we use them to prepare students for life in the real world.  Yes, schools teach skills and knowledge that can be applied in real world situations.  But a gap exists between the acquisition of those skill and the application of those skills.  How can we close this gap?  Project-based Learning or PBL is one of the many paradigms that can greatly increase student engagement and learning while bridging the gap between skill acquisition and application.

http://www.edutopia.org/pbl-research-learning-outcomes

6 Ways to Get Students Motivated and Excited to Learn via DailyGenius

http://dailygenius.com/get-students-motivated/

4 Tips for Flipped Learning

4 Tips for Flipped Learning

My Presumé (Prezi + Résumé = Presumé)

iPad Productivity Apps For Modern, Mobile Teachers

During a recent interview I was asked what role (if any) mobile devices had in the classroom. My answer was that mobile devices weren't used enough. While there is a tendency for these devices to provide distraction for both students and teachers alike, the potential for increased student engagement and increased instructional time greatly outweighs the negatives. I sited my own use of ClassDojo. ClassDojo is a classroom tool that helps teachers improve behavior in their classrooms quickly and easily. It also captures and generates data on behavior that teachers can share with parents and administrators. It does this by giving each student a cartoon monster-like avatar that can either earn points for desired behaviors and conversely lose points for undesired behaviors. In my kindergarten/first grade combination classroom during the 2013-2014 school year I used this program with great success. I had the class' avatars on display on either a classroom desktop computer or projected onto our rooms interactive whiteboard. I used my iPhone with the ClassDojo app installed to deduct or add points when needed. In this manner I was able to greatly reduce the amount of instructional time that would normally be lost in classroom management while at the same time greatly increasing the amount of positive reinforcement I doled out on a daily basis. This also enabled me to keep track of behavioral trends. With this in mind, here is a list of the top 60 iPad productivity apps taken from Michael Hyatt:

http://michaelhyatt.com/top-ipad-productivity-apps.html

Many of these items are intended for use in the private sector, however with a slight change in paradigm they would make wonderful tools to use in the classroom to save time and increase student engagement.

My Portfolio

This initial post is a link to an e-portfolio I created as the ultimate project while pursuing my Master of Arts degree in Instructional Technology.  Check it out at http://jefferson-green-portfolio.squarespace.com/.  The title of this blog is Technicae Discere - technology to learn.